Which DVD's are a HT must have?

[noddin0ff]

Apocalypse Now Redux... if only it were DTS

(Kill Bill has DTS, btw)

[vxaudio]

No one here has mentioned the Blade trilogy and Underworld. Blade has some really low bass and underworld has some awesome surround sound, but the bass isnt quite as low. All Blade are DTS-ES. Pearl harbor is pretty good if you only watch it once, and ignore the male actors, haha. For keepers though, Definetly Blade 1 and Underworld if you like this kinda flick. The Mask Of Zorro is pretty awesome too, this is an unexpected one.

Fight Club has to be the top of the not mentioned DVDs so far. This one will work your speakers big time. Heart pounding bass. I have a 55'' sony lcd proj. and this one is stunning. i have most of the others mentioned, but here are more since you asked..

[L.J.]

No one here has mentioned the Blade trilogy and Underworld. Blade has some really low bass and underworld has some awesome surround sound, but the bass isnt quite as low. All Blade are DTS-ES. Pearl harbor is pretty good if you only watch it once, and ignore the male actors, haha. For keepers though, Definetly Blade 1 and Underworld if you like this kinda flick. The Mask Of Zorro is pretty awesome too, this is an unexpected one.

Fight Club has to be the top of the not mentioned DVDs so far. This one will work your speakers big time. Heart pounding bass. I have a 55'' sony lcd proj. and this one is stunning. i have most of the others mentioned, but here are more since you asked..

I forgot all about Blade. I've seen 1 & 2 on cable tons of times but not 3. I haven't seen Fight Club either. I'll check Flight Club out. I already have Zorro. I have a huge problem with just running out and buying DVD's I never seen before. I've made that mistake a few times and I don't care to have DVD's sitting on the shelf that I'll never watch again. Thanks

[Woochifer]

I forgot all about Blade. I've seen 1 & 2 on cable tons of times but not 3. I haven't seen Fight Club either. I'll check Flight Club out. I already have Zorro. I have a huge problem with just running out and buying DVD's I never seen before. I've made that mistake a few times and I don't care to have DVD's sitting on the shelf that I'll never watch again. Thanks

Well, then you should probably consider not watching so much cable! Unless you have HD, those movies on cable are mostly butchered pan&scan versions with two-channel soundtracks,so a DVD purchase does add value to your viewing enjoyment. Costwise, buying a new release DVD is comparable to the price of two movie tickets, and how many times have you gone to a movie theater without having previously seen the movie playing? And with a DVD, you can rewatch the movie as many times as you want, and take your time mining through the supplemental features (looks like I'm in the minority, but I totally get into the documentaries, commentary tracks, and production notes).

Since you're just starting up your DVD collection, you can stock up on a lot of titles whose list prices have already gone into the budget category. Or if you're really up against it budgetwise, you can always buy used DVDs and/or sell the ones that you know you won't rewatch anytime soon.

Don't forget that there's also the collectibility of certain DVD titles, particularly those that were originally issued as special editions but subsequently reissued as stripped down budget versions. Or there are also titles that had DTS soundtracks, only to have them removed in subsequent reissues.

[L.J.]

Well, then you should probably consider not watching so much cable! Unless you have HD, those movies on cable are mostly butchered pan&scan versions with two-channel soundtracks,so a DVD purchase does add value to your viewing enjoyment. Costwise, buying a new release DVD is comparable to the price of two movie tickets, and how many times have you gone to a movie theater without having previously seen the movie playing? And with a DVD, you can rewatch the movie as many times as you want, and take your time mining through the supplemental features (looks like I'm in the minority, but I totally get into the documentaries, commentary tracks, and production notes).

Since you're just starting up your DVD collection, you can stock up on a lot of titles whose list prices have already gone into the budget category. Or if you're really up against it budgetwise, you can always buy used DVDs and/or sell the ones that you know you won't rewatch anytime soon.

Don't forget that there's also the collectibility of certain DVD titles, particularly those that were originally issued as special editions but subsequently reissued as stripped down budget versions. Or there are also titles that had DTS soundtracks, only to have them removed in subsequent reissues.

For a hundred bucks a month I gotta get a little TV time in. I try to watch HD as much as possible but my bedroom TV is nonHD.

I'm actually up to about 150 DVD's. I don't know whats considered a collection around here. Call me an addict, but I put on a movie almost every night except for Sunday&Monday(Football).

[L.J.]

So I did a little sneak preview of Master&Commander, Hero and Jurrasic Park last night and WOW .

I'm a big fan of all three JP's so when I saw the first one, encoded with DTS for only $9.99, I had to grab it. They difference in sound was huge, especially the bass.

I watched the scene on Hero when the two girls are fighting in the yellow trees and talkin bout a tornado. Nice stuff. Great sound and a excellent picture. The trees fading from yellow to red....sniff,sniff....I could just cry.

Lastly I watched scene four on Master&Commander and I actually went diving for my remote. The first canon blasts scared the hell out of me. My old system did not do this movie justice the one time I watched it. WOW . Woochifer, you hit it right on. This is one of the best soundtracks I've heard. I look foward to watching this from beginning to end. I could kick myself for passing this one up so many times.

Sooo many movies, so little time.

[Woochifer]

I'm a big fan of all three JP's so when I saw the first one, encoded with DTS for only $9.99, I had to grab it. They difference in sound was huge, especially the bass.

With Jurassic Park, the DTS DVD had to be recalled because the LFE level on the first production run was incorrect. If you hear the thundering room shaking low bass on the DTS disc, then you've got the correct version.

Lastly I watched scene four on Master&Commander and I actually went diving for my remote. The first canon blasts scared the hell out of me. My old system did not do this movie justice the one time I watched it. WOW . Woochifer, you hit it right on. This is one of the best soundtracks I've heard. I look foward to watching this from beginning to end. I could kick myself for passing this one up so many times.

Aside from the low bass, the really impressive aspect of the Master and Commander soundtrack is in how convincing the envelopment effect sounds. It conveys a sense of not only location, but space as well. When the scene's below deck, the soundtrack conveys a closed in sensation, and outdoor scenes feel more open. With the speakers aligned and matched up properly, it's very noticeable. The diagram below shows the alignment that you should try out (Dolby further recommends that you elevate the surround speakers above ear level and point them directly at one another), and definitely invest in a SPL meter to level match the surround speakers. One of the best $40 investments you can make in your system.

[steamboy 2]

Starship Troopers
Sky Captain
The Incredibles
Kill Bill Vol 1
Tron
Die Hard ( 5 Star Collection )
Blade 2


Too Many To List

[L.J.]

Aside from the low bass, the really impressive aspect of the Master and Commander soundtrack is in how convincing the envelopment effect sounds. It conveys a sense of not only location, but space as well. When the scene's below deck, the soundtrack conveys a closed in sensation, and outdoor scenes feel more open. With the speakers aligned and matched up properly, it's very noticeable. The diagram below shows the alignment that you should try out (Dolby further recommends that you elevate the surround speakers above ear level and point them directly at one another), and definitely invest in a SPL meter to level match the surround speakers. One of the best $40 investments you can make in your system.

I will listen for this when I get a chance to watch it with some peace.

The first and only time I watched this movie was on my first setup. After spending a few months on this site and others like it, I realized that my settings were off and I missed out on alot. On top of that, I was using a JVC avr matched with Sony speaker. I'm not gonna say anything bad about either of these products because I was happy with them for a long time, but now that I've upgraded, I can easily see that I was missing out on. Huge difference in the quality of sound.

Thanks

[Defshep]

Absolutely right about Master & Commander. Just broke down & bought it (used!) a couple of weeks ago. Great sound, especially the overall ambience of the creaking ship during the quieter moments.
I love this movie's sound, and I have Sony speakers! Makes me wonder what I'm missing...

[L.J.]

Absolutely right about Master & Commander. Just broke down & bought it (used!) a couple of weeks ago. Great sound, especially the overall ambience of the creaking ship during the quieter moments.
I love this movie's sound, and I have Sony speakers! Makes me wonder what I'm missing...

I saw your setup in another thread. I had the Sony 750 fronts, 350 center and 150 surrounds. Hey, not everyone can run out and drop $3k on a set of speakers. I first upgraded my DVD player, then AVR. Small difference. Next I upgraded my Sony's to Energy's. Huge difference. I also uograded my sub from a Yamaha 150watt 12" to a Energy 300watt 12". The sound is more dynamic, the highs are crystal clear. There was a more uniform sound and the surrounds blended well with the fronts. I heard stuff in my old CD's and movies that I never heard before. I realize also that the bass from the Yamaha was boomy, but I didn't know any difference until I changed subs.

Some of this may have had to do with my 5.1 settings also. Like I said, on my first setup I didn't have the levels calibrated correctly. I had proper placement and distances down but played the levels by ear. I realize now that I had my surrounds way too high back then. I am quite happy with my setup and calibration now.

[recoveryone]

let list a few that I did not see posted earlier:


The Saint
Bourne Idenity

[Defshep]

I saw your setup in another thread. I had the Sony 750 fronts, 350 center and 150 surrounds. Hey, not everyone can run out and drop $3k on a set of speakers. I first upgraded my DVD player, then AVR. Small difference. Next I upgraded my Sony's to Energy's. Huge difference. I also uograded my sub from a Yamaha 150watt 12" to a Energy 300watt 12". The sound is more dynamic, the highs are crystal clear. There was a more uniform sound and the surrounds blended well with the fronts. I heard stuff in my old CD's and movies that I never heard before. I realize also that the bass from the Yamaha was boomy, but I didn't know any difference until I changed subs.

Some of this may have had to do with my 5.1 settings also. Like I said, on my first setup I didn't have the levels calibrated correctly. I had proper placement and distances down but played the levels by ear. I realize now that I had my surrounds way too high back then. I am quite happy with my setup and calibration now.

Thanks, L.J. Guess what I'll be doing next year...Wait, Christmas, open-box, clearance, oh my God! Upgrades may commence anytime now. I'm gonna have to lock myself in my house 'till January. I might be developing a habit...

[L.J.]

Thanks, L.J. Guess what I'll be doing next year...Wait, Christmas, open-box, clearance, oh my God! Upgrades may commence anytime now. I'm gonna have to lock myself in my house 'till January. I might be developing a habit...

Remember I said was happy with my previous setup for a long time. I didn't realize what I was missing until I upgraded. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I never put JVC or Sony down because I was happy with it.

Oh, I have that same habit. I've been to Good Guys 3 times since the close out started. I may just get kicked out the house this time.

[vxaudio]

it would be cool if you created a VH1ish type list of must have movies for HT as opinionated by the audioreview forum. maybe you could do a top 50 or something and add it to one of the info sections. just a thought if you have the time.
vX

[vxaudio]

it would be sweet to know what all titles are avaliable in DTS. im not sure if there is a list somewhere else or not, if so, please post a link

[L.J.]

it would be sweet to know what all titles are avaliable in DTS. im not sure if there is a list somewhere else or not, if so, please post a link

Check out this link.

Just select country and technology(5.1 or 6.1).

There's over 1000 DTS 5.1 titles but only 65 DTS ES.

[GMichael]

it would be sweet to know what all titles are avaliable in DTS. im not sure if there is a list somewhere else or not, if so, please post a link

There are a few here http://www.buy.com/retail/searchresu...c=322&dclksa=1

[L.J.]

There are a few here http://www.buy.com/retail/searchresu...c=322&dclksa=1

A few, you call 471 a few. I saw at least 10 titles I'd like to get. I few would be doubles. WHY do they come out with a DTS version after you've already dropped money on the DD . I gotta bunch of DVD already on the way from Columbia House. Man my wife's gonna kill me.

[L.J.]

L.J., if there's a used dvd outlet near you, it's definitely worth selling your theatrical versions for the extended ones. I save a lot of cash buying used flicks. I'm telling you, I never watched the original releases again once the longer cuts came out. They really are that much better. This coming from a casual fan of the fantasy genre.

I said what the hell and picked up the extended versions. Well the last two so far. I got the Two Towers for 14.95 at columbia house and Return of the King at GG for 20.00. I'm hoping to find Fellowship of the Ring for a decent price at Costco. I haven't seen the extended cuts so this gonna be a treat as soon as I find the first one for a decent price. Now I just gotta figure out what to do with my theatrical versions.

[GMichael]

A few, you call 471 a few. I saw at least 10 titles I'd like to get. I few would be doubles. WHY do they come out with a DTS version after you've already dropped money on the DD . I gotta bunch of DVD already on the way from Columbia House. Man my wife's gonna kill me.

Sorry, I missed this post. Yeah, 471 = a few. When your finished with those you can go out with your friends.

[L.J.]

I picked up Twister(DTS) and House of Flying Daggers. The release date for Twister was 2000 so I'm hoping it's the full bitrate version. I've heard alot about HOFD so I'm looking foward to seeing that one as well. I also picked up Star Wars episodes 1&2 and will be grabbing 3 tomorrow to complete the set. Lastly I gotta find a Fellowship of the Ring extended edition for a decent price.

[paul_pci]

I picked up Twister(DTS) and House of Flying Daggers. The release date for Twister was 2000 so I'm hoping it's the full bitrate version. I've heard alot about HOFD so I'm looking foward to seeing that one as well. I also picked up Star Wars episodes 1&2 and will be grabbing 3 tomorrow to complete the set. Lastly I gotta find a Fellowship of the Ring extended edition for a decent price.

The best price I've seen on LOTR extended version, which I'd love to have myself, is through Amazon.

I didn't like flying daggars as much. I'll let you be the judge of course. I thought Hero was much more visually and auditorally stimulating.

[L.J.]

The best price I've seen on LOTR extended version, which I'd love to have myself, is through Amazon.

I have not seen the extended versions yet so I'm really excited about this. No LOTR all nighter for me though. I'll spread it out over a couple of days.

I didn't like flying daggars as much. I'll let you be the judge of course. I thought Hero was much more visually and auditorally stimulating.

This is exactly what I've read. Many feel the same way as you, but still had good things to say about HOFD. It's a blind buy for me so I hope I like it.

I enjoyed Hero alot. It was well worth the $10 I paid for it.

[csukasem]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Abyss. I thought this movie had terrific sound and is a killer for dvd players with all of the murkiness and blacks. Excellent story to boot. ....

Hi,

The Abyss's picture is not anamorphic, is it ? A great tragedy.

Sukasem